


When it Rains, it Purrs

by Becci Barnes (BeccEEE), Sagana_Rojana_Olt



Series: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2021 [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Alpine being a cat, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Veterinarians, Angst, Art, Blood and Injury, Bucky Barnes in Indiana, Cat, Cat stories, Fluff and Angst, Get Together, M/M, No Powers Tony, Sick Animal, Stray Cat, Tony Stark has a heart for pets, Veterinary Clinic, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier Vol. 2 (2018), WinterIron Reverse Bang, a little bit at the end, adopted pets, and he is completely oblivious, bucky barnes has a cat, bucky gets adopted by a cat, cat shenanigans, not much though, veterinarian tony stark, winteriron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29981085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccEEE/pseuds/Becci%20Barnes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagana_Rojana_Olt/pseuds/Sagana_Rojana_Olt
Summary: After Bucky has freed himself from Hydra, he lives a modest life in a little suburb in Indiana where he makes a living by helping people to start over. His job is unconventional, dangerous and not always legal but he is glad to be doing some good in his own way.When an injured stray cat finds him one night he can't help but bring the helpless animal to the closest veterinarian.Dr Tony Stark patches her up but Bucky had not expected to become a pet owner just like that. He is not enthusiastic, not prepared and definitely not suited for a pet. Or a boyfriend.Fortunately, neither the cat nor Tony do care at all, leading Bucky down a road that holds lots of treats, fur everywhere and a handsome vet.Or: Two men and a cat and everyone catch feelings.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2204505
Comments: 31
Kudos: 109
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2021, WI Reverse Bang 2020





	When it Rains, it Purrs

**Author's Note:**

> 💥 Written for the [WinterIron Reverse Bang 2020](https://winterironbang.tumblr.com/)  
> 🎨 Art by the amazing [Sagana_Rojana_Olt](https://saganarojanaolt.tumblr.com/post/645385325532872704/winteriron-reverse-bang-when-it-rains-it) go check out her original post.
> 
> ✍🏻 Fill number two for the Bucky-Barnes-Bingo on Tumblr: [@buckybarnesbingo](https://buckybarnesbingo.tumblr.com/)  
> 💡 Prompt: Adoption

Bucky's black boot sank into a shallow puddle with a splash. Undeterred and with firm steps, he continued walking down the street. The shoes could take a little water.

But it was not just a little water. The heavy drops that fell from the sky kept landing on him and slowly but surely drenched his long hair. Only a few lit windows on the high buildings around him shone through the darkness like large rectangular stars, and the wind howling around the corners further dampened Bucky's mood. He kicked an empty drink can aside in frustration. It crashed into the wall of the next building with a clatter.

Why had this Batroc called him in the first place if he obviously didn't want any help from him? Bucky had given him very clear instructions. New city, new job, new identity. No ties to his old life. And Batroc had resolutely ignored them. He'd probably also end up blaming Bucky if the French Legion tracked him down here. Which could happen any time, now that he had called his ex-girlfriend. No, Bucky would not let himself be left holding the bag. Defiantly, he turned into the small dark alley. He really needed to draw up a disclaimer or something for the future if he didn't want to get involved in the very problems his clients were trying to escape from. Batroc was not the first and would not be the last to disregard the rules.

A dirty plastic bag rustled as it was blown past him and joined the soggy cardboard boxes a few metres away. Right next to them was Bucky's motorbike, exactly where he had left it. Close to the wall of the house and hidden behind a large dumpster. Bucky wiped the dark leather seat with his gloved hand which did not help at all. Glad that his trousers were heavy-duty and weatherproof, Bucky sat down on the wet seat. He brushed away a few strands of soaked hair that were sticking to his face and rummaged in his belt pouch for the key.

An unexpected sound made him sit up and take notice. It was not the howling of the wind hissing around the corners of the houses, nor was it the rattling of the dustbins or the rustling of their contents. It had been much quieter and much closer. Bucky listened closely, but he could not hear it again. It had probably been something in the bins after all, or he had just imagined it.

He clicked the kickstand of the motorbike in with his foot and pulled the clutch in to start the engine. When he heard the sound again, he released the clutch startled and the motorbike leapt forwards before the engine died. Bucky turned around in confusion. This time he was sure he hadn't imagined the sound, he had definitely heard something. A squeak had come from his left saddlebag. Bucky eyed it. He had attached it there ages ago, but he hardly ever used it. In fact, it was only still there because he had not bothered to take it off yet.

Carefully, he lifted the cover and immediately let it fall shut again. From the depths of the black leather bag, two eyes had stared at him. He was pretty sure that his saddlebag had had no eyes the last time he had checked it. Again Bucky lifted the cover and this time took a closer look inside.

The eyes were still there. They were looking at him out of a pile of dirty grey fur with pointed ears. It hadn't been a squeak he had heard, it had been a meow.

The cat in his bag meowed again and it sounded like an agonised cry for attention. Bucky stared into his saddlebag. He couldn't leave the cat in there. It wasn't his, surely someone was missing it.

He clicked the kickstand back down and got off the bike again. The cat's eyes followed him and it meowed once more. Bucky moved his hands along the inside of the bag to lift it out. His right hand got caught on matted knots in its fur and he felt how wet the poor animal was. It had probably sought shelter in his bag and he felt a little guilty about putting it back out into this horrible weather now, but what choice did he have?

Clumsily, he shifted the cat onto his left arm, but with a frightened meow, it began to strike its claws against it. They scraped across the metal with a squeaking sound, which seemed to make the cat panic even more.

"No metal arm, got it," Bucky said, pulling his left arm out of the bag again. As best he could, he hid it behind his back. "Better?"

The cat looked up at him and meowed innocently. Bucky looked back, conflicted.

"But I can't take you with me," he said, now trying to lift the animal with only one hand. But as soon as he had slipped his fingers under its body, it meowed miserably again and Bucky withdrew his hand.

He stared at the animal in resentment. He didn't want to hurt it, but he had no idea how to lift cats properly, especially not with only one hand and in the pouring rain.

"At least give me _something_ to work with," he said in resignation, but it only meowed back and seemed to duck down even deeper into his bag.

Frustrated, Bucky raised his right hand to brush annoyingly wet hair out of his face again. His gaze fell on his fingers as he noticed something red on them. Something red that, Bucky was sure, had not been there a moment ago, and that now covered a large part of his hand. His gaze moved back and forth between the cat and his bloody hand and in a split second, he made a decision.

"Don't fall out, okay?" he said and fastened the buckles of the saddlebag. He swung one leg over the bike again, wiped his hand on his trousers and kicked the engine on.

Luckily I know my way around here, he thought as he rolled out of the alley and onto the main road. As carefully as he could, he took the bends, taking extra care not to tilt the bike too fast or too low, especially on left turns.

When he reached the car park he had been heading for, he immediately noticed the dark windows of the building.

"Damn it!" Bucky cursed as he checked the opening hours on the door. It was well past 9 pm. With his eyes, he searched the sign. Wasn't there an emergency vet service or something like that? A late-night vet?

The cat in his saddlebag meowed at him through the pelting rain and he cast a quick worried glance back at the motorbike. Then he found what he was looking for on the sign, tapped it twice with his finger while memorising the address and got back on his bike.

The route to the emergency service was outrageously long. Wasn't the whole point of it to treat emergency cases? What emergency had time to drive through half the city?

With screeching tyres, he came to a halt in front of Dr Stark's practice and hopped off the seat. He didn't try to get the cat out again but swiftly dismounted the entire saddlebag. With the black leather in his arms, Bucky walked towards the door and hastily pressed the bell. And again. And then again. Only when he heard a key turn in the lock on the other side of the door did he let go.

Light fell from inside the house onto the steps where Bucky stood. A man in a dark blue shirt was standing in the doorway, eyeing him.

"You're on emergency duty?" Bucky asked, without mincing words.

The man raised his eyebrows. "I wouldn't be here in the middle of the night if I wasn't."

"This cat needs help," Bucky said, pushing the saddlebag towards him. The vet took it, a little confused. He opened his mouth to say something, but Bucky snapped the lid of the bag open. For a second, the vet looked down into the bag, then he turned around and indicated Bucky to follow him.

"I found it in a back alley," he explained as he accompanied Dr Stark inside and into his treatment room. "It had jumped into my bag and when I tried to get it out of there... It wouldn't let me lift it and it's bleeding..." Stark interrupted him.

"Okay, what's your name?"

"Bucky Barnes."

"Alright Bucky, I'm Tony. I want you to sit down in this chair here for a minute and take a deep breath and I'll take a look at the little one." He placed the bag on the large treatment table in the middle of the room and switched on the lights above it. Bucky sat down on the chair by the wall and watched as Tony carefully tipped the bag. The cat slid slowly down the smooth leather and onto the table. It didn't even seem to try to resist. Its light fur was stained all red on one side and it gave a pitiful meow. It sounded much weaker than it had earlier and suddenly Bucky was seriously worried about the little animal.

"You've definitely done well to bring it here," Tony said as he gently turned it on its side to examine the wound. "I'll need to stitch that up," he said. With his free hand, he pulled some cotton pads from a box within reach and pressed them on the wound to get the bleeding under control.

"Can you hold this here for a moment while I get my assistant?" he asked and Bucky immediately stood up to do as Tony had said. While he pressed on the wound with the pad, the cat looked up at him out of wide eyes.

"It's okay," Bucky said, "the vet will take care of you."

When Tony re-entered the room, a young woman followed him, wearing the same dark blue sturdy shirt and tying her hair up as she walked. She took the cotton pad from Bucky and began to clean the wound.

Tony took him aside and said, "We're going to give it a local anaesthetic injection and then stitch the wound up with three or four stitches. If you're uncomfortable with any of that, you can wait in the waiting room."

"Yes, I'll wait outside," Bucky said. He wasn't overly fond of needles. Tony just nodded in understanding and gestured towards the door.

As Bucky walked past the table, the cat's gaze followed him from unchanged wide eyes. He tried to push the feeling that he was abandoning it aside and left the room.

In the empty waiting room across the hall, he sat down in one of the cosy armchairs. While his wet clothing started to soak the cushion of the seat he stared at the opposite wall. Sudden anger had seized him. He wanted to make the people who had done this to the innocent cat suffer in the most unpleasant ways he could think of. He could already see himself chasing these animal abusers across six states and bringing them to justice.

Taking a few deep breaths, he tried to calm himself from being overly dramatic. There was no evidence that anyone had deliberately harmed this cat. Maybe another animal had got it, or it had just been an accident. Still, why was _he_ sitting here now, in the middle of the night at a vet's practice, and not its owners? Probably because she didn’t have any owners, he reminded himself and his anger turned into pity for the homeless cat.

Bucky was still staring at the wall when the door to the waiting room opened.

"You can come back in," the assistant said and Bucky stood up and made his way back over. The cat lay motionless on the table, just where he had left it. It blinked weakly at him as he stepped closer.

"So," Tony said, checking the thin transparent tablet in his hand again. "We've cleaned and stitched up the wound. Other than that, she seems to be alright, at least physically. Her general nutritional status, however, is more than poor." He looked intently at Bucky. "Normally I would have told you a few bars about animal welfare, but you said you found her?" Bucky nodded. "Then I'll refrain from that and let you take the little girl home."

"What?" Bucky looked at him, startled.

"Well, what did you expect? She has no collar or chip. Do you want to put her back on the street? She won't survive that." He looked down at the little ball of fur between them. "To be honest, even with good care, I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high."

Bucky still didn't move, but just looked up from the cat to Tony in exasperation. "Can't you...?"

"No, I can't," he said firmly. "I'm a vet, not a pet sanctuary. If you don't want her, take her to a shelter. But you won't have any luck there before Monday." Tony eyed him critically. "Do I have your word that you won't abandon the cat again?"

Bucky hesitated. What was he going to do with a cat? A weak and injured cat to boot. He didn't even know how to handle the animal properly. He was constantly on the road for his job and between fronts more often than he liked. He was simply not suited for a pet.

"Do I have your word?" Tony repeated. Bucky conceded defeat and nodded. He had no choice.

"Call me if you need any help," Tony said and handed Bucky his business card. "Otherwise, come back on Monday and I'll check on the healing process. If she survives that long."

The assistant carefully put the cat back in the saddlebag.

"Cleaned and disinfected," she said as she handed Bucky the bag. The cat looked up at him wearily from the inside.

It had never taken Bucky so long to get home from the city. He drove so slowly and cautiously that he was glad he only encountered a few cars on the highway that were impeded by his lack of speed. By the time he wheeled his motorbike into the garage and lowered the gate, it was well past midnight.

Carefully, he detached the bag from the bike and carried it, along with the cat, into the house. Indecisively, he put it down in the living room. The cat blinked at him out of tired eyes. Bucky blinked back. He pushed the bag next to the sofa and stepped back. Yes, he thought, she could stay here for now. He had almost reached the foot of the stairs up when he heard the soft mewing behind him. He stopped and sighed. Then he turned around and took bag and cat upstairs to his bedroom.

The next morning, Bucky was abruptly awakened by a sound he had not expected to hear in his bedroom. His subconscious didn't give him time to sort out the unfamiliar sound and he reflexively jumped out of bed and pulled out the combat knife from under his pillow. Ready to attack, he held it in front of him while his eyes wandered around the room, searching for a source of danger. But he could see no assailant or even the slightest hint of a threat.

As his brain woke up and took back control over the reflexes he had been trained, Bucky lowered the knife in embarrassment. It had been a long time since something had blindsided him so much that the very instincts he was trying to suppress had taken over.

He looked over to the corner next to the door where the sound had come from. Two white ears peeked out from a black bag. And their possessor emitted another meow. Bucky shoved his knife back under the pillow and approached his new roommate, careful to keep his left arm hidden behind his back.

"Hey," he said softly while getting down on one knee in front of the bag. The cat meowed at him again. Carefully, Bucky began to tip the bag, just as Tony had done until it lay sideways on the floor.

"Here we go, you can get out now if you want to," he said, stood back up and took a few steps back to give her space. She just looked at him as she remained motionless in the bag.

"Or not, whatever," Bucky said, shrugged and left the bedroom to make himself breakfast.

Just as he was spreading butter on his second slice of toast, it hit him. He opened his fridge and stared inside, looking for something to feed a cat with. From the compartment in the door he pulled out a canister of milk, but he only had to lift the lid for a brief moment to realise that it was definitely over its date. Behind a block of cheese and a wilted head of lettuce, he discovered a can of sausages. Why he had put that in the fridge, was beyond him. But he took it out and examined it. It was sealed and had a shelf life of another 3 years.

He returned to the bedroom with a plate filled with small diced sausages. The cat had not moved from the spot. If he hadn't known for a fact that she was real, Bucky would probably have thought she was a stuffed animal.

Carefully, he slid the plate in front of her nose with his right hand. She sniffed at it and Bucky watched in anticipation. But then she withdrew her head and turned it away as if Bucky had insulted her.

"Sorry, I don't have anything else," he said but she remained silent and motionless.

"Eat it or leave it," he said and left the room again. He still had to reschedule three appointments with his clients that he would normally have had this weekend. He couldn't sit here and wait for her to eat, she would certainly do that on her own when she was hungry.

"She's not eating," he said into the phone. Contrary to his resolution, he had spent the whole day offering her all kinds of food. He had gone to three different stores to buy various tins of cat food, but the cat had only looked at him and not touched any of it. By now he was sitting on the floor of his bedroom surrounded by plates filled with smelly heaps of different meat cubes and the cat still seemed completely unimpressed. As darkness had fallen, Bucky had decided to consult the only person he could think of. The vet who had patched her up yesterday.

"I told you this might happen," Tony replied on the other end of the line. "She's probably in pain or confused. Or both. Make sure she drinks something. Water, cat milk, anything. And come by tomorrow to get some painkillers. Maybe that will help her." Bucky nodded as he scribbled the instructions on a Post It. When he hung up, he looked at the cat. "The lengths I go for you," he sighed. "You better not die while I'm gone."

For the fourth time this day, Bucky entered a pet store and returned with a collection of different types of cat milk. Until a moment ago, he had not known what cat milk even was and how many varieties there were. He was sure that he had never spent so much money on milk in his life.

He grabbed the last small plate that was not yet filled with cat food from his cupboard and poured a little bit of milk onto it. Carefully he carried it up the stairs and balanced it with one hand over to the cat. He set it down in front of her, took three steps back and sat down cross-legged on the floor again.

"I'm going to sit down right here," he said, "And I'm not going to leave until you've had something to drink. So go on."

She looked at him and gave a soft meow. Bucky stared at her grimly.

Very sluggish she shoved her nose out of her bag and towards the plate. She sniffed at the milk a few times and then very slowly stuck out her tongue.

The weight that was lifted from Bucky's heart when she took the first sips could hardly have been any greater. Relieved, he watched the plate slowly emptying in front of his eyes until finally her tongue just ran over the empty ceramic surface.

"More?" he asked. She licked ceaselessly over the plate and Bucky took that as a sign to refill with more milk. She drank the entire second plate too, though not quite as quickly. It wasn't until the third plate that she seemed to have had enough and crawled back into the depths of the bag.

When Bucky got up the next morning, he automatically glanced over to the corner where the cat was lying. She had rolled over onto her other side during the night and her head was now buried in the bag. Bucky could see the area on her flank where the vet's assistant had shaved her fur so they could stitch up the injury. The short hair that had been revealed underneath was snow white and seemed to glow compared to the dirty mess around it. He should probably wash her at some point, Bucky thought, but he didn't dare lift her again. Not when she was still in pain and he could only work with one arm.

He looked at her closely again, but she seemed to be fast asleep. He was very uncomfortable leaving her home alone, but he hoped that nothing would happen to her or his furniture while she slept. So he took advantage of this opportunity and got on his motorbike to ride down to the city and Tony's practice.

Tony welcomed him right in the entrance area. He had his head lowered and seemed to be writing something down on the desk behind the counter. However, he raised his head when Bucky entered.

"Hey," he said, setting the pen aside. "How's she doing?"

"She's drinking," Bucky replied, unable to keep the relief out of his voice.

"Good," Tony said, smiling at him. "That's very good. Now we just have to get her to eat as well." He turned around and pulled a small bottle from the cabinet behind him. "Two drops of this in her water, or her milk. If she's not eating because she's in pain, then hopefully that should do the trick. Probably takes 30 minutes to work. If she still doesn't eat then, you can gradually increase to a maximum of five drops. If she _still_ doesn't eat... " He grimaced. "Well, I hope she eats."

Bucky nodded and took the small bottle. He hoped so too.

"The fact that you're here tells me you probably don't want to give her away anymore, huh?" Tony said, grinning at him across the counter. Bucky saw little wrinkles forming around his brown eyes.

"I don't think so," he said. To be honest, he hadn't thought once about it since they had left the practice together. Somehow he felt responsible for the cat and he didn't have the heart to give her away until he was sure she was completely well again.

Tony nodded knowingly and ran his hand through his brown hair before saying, "You're not the first one to be adopted by a cat. You don't have much choice other than to embrace it and just roll with it. Trust me, you two will be inseparable before you know what happens." He winked at him, but Bucky just shook his head before leaving the practice again. He couldn't really believe that.

Bucky felt his cat's piercing gaze in his back as he opened the tin can. After they had managed to get her to eat properly again, her strength had come back almost faster than he would have liked. Gone were the days when she had only been lying in the saddlebag in the bedroom, not moving from the spot and meowing from time to time. Now she wandered around the entire house with growing enthusiasm, exploring the various places she could squeeze herself into and making sure he didn't forget her by staring at him intently regularly.

"You already had your food, this is for me," he said, emptying the contents of the tin into a microwave bowl. He turned around to throw the empty tin away and the cat fled the kitchen, frightened. Bucky sighed.

"That's my arm. It won't hurt you." But she did not return.

As he watched his dinner rotate in the microwave, he pondered. Even now, she still hadn't got used to the metallic shine of his left arm. Whenever she caught a glimpse of it, she immediately took flight.

It was not only stressful and inconvenient for her, but also for Bucky himself, who always had to do everything with one hand in her presence. To detangle and wash her fur like that had been a real ordeal for both of them and the scratches on Bucky's right hand were still clearly visible. Only after that had he come up with the idea of wearing something long-sleeved. That helped at least a little but wasn't a permanent solution.

The ding of the microwave jolted him out of his thoughts about trauma therapy and whether it could be applied to cats. It couldn't hurt to try.

After he had finished his dinner he had sat down cross-legged on the floor of his living room. That was where he was still sitting now, his back against the sofa and his left arm resting casually on the floor. In his upturned palm lay some treats, ready to be eaten by a curious cat. But the cat seemed to have lost all its curiosity at once when Bucky had started this experiment. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there like that, staring motionless straight ahead, but just now the cat had moved for the first time. She had relinquished her position by the radiator a few metres away and was now creeping up on him from the right side. With her paw, she nudged him and tried to put her head between his real arm and his torso.

Bucky did not move.

When she realised she didn't fit into the gap she wanted to fit into, she trotted around him. And then she spotted the metal arm on Bucky's other side and halted, frozen. She drew in her tail slightly, her eyes firmly fixed on the arm peeking out from the sleeve of his T-shirt.

Bucky watched her motionless.

As if on a hunt, she seemed to sneak up on his arm and then she saw the treats inside his hand. Her head turned up to Bucky and then back to the treats. She sniffed and then very slowly stretched out a paw. Bucky felt the light pressure as she touched the shiny metal. A moment later, she had fished the treats out of his cupped hand with her paw and started rolling them back and forth on the carpet. She was obviously excited about having treats but not having to eat out of the creepy metal hand. Well, it was a start. If they did this regularly, it might actually work.

"Come on," Bucky said annoyed, shaking the saddlebag so the treats inside rattled. "We have to be at the vet in twenty minutes. Please don't act up now." She looked at him reproachfully, as if it was _his_ fault that they still hadn't set off. Bucky sighed and knelt on the floor beside her.

"Fine. What's your suggestion on how we solve this?" She plodded closer and snatched one of the treats that had fallen out of the bag. Then she stalked up to him and started playing with the zip of his jacket. "No way that's going to work," he said.

Five minutes later they were cruising along the highway towards the city. Bucky was absolutely sure that transporting a cat in the front of his jacket was neither safe nor allowed. As if he had ever cared. But at least they had made it out of the house, and this way he could also keep an eye on the cat the whole ride.

[ Art by [@saganarojanaolt](https://saganarojanaolt.tumblr.com/) ]

"So, how's our problem child today?" Tony asked as he entered the treatment room. He paused as he looked at Bucky, who looked back, unperturbed.

"She refused to go in the bag," he said, "I had to improvise." He carefully unzipped his jacket and the cat started to slide down slowly. Bucky caught her with his free hand to carefully set her down on the metal treatment table.

"She eats, she drinks, she sleeps and she bothers me when I eat, drink and sleep," Bucky summarised. Tony raised an eyebrow in amusement, but without commenting on it he began to palpate the cat. She looked up at Bucky, clearly judging him for giving her away so readily.

"Not gonna lie, I'm a little impressed," Tony said as he carefully lifted the cat and placed her on the scales. "I didn't have high hopes with her. But the scar looks good, she's gaining weight and her fur's getting better too."

Bucky snorted. "It better does. Took a lot out of me to clean it."

Tony grinned at him as Bucky tucked the cat back into his jacket. "I'm not good with animals."

"Yeah, I can see that," Tony said, smirking unfazed as the cat curled up at Bucky's chest. Then he made a note on his tablet. "If she gains a few more grams, I can vaccinate her next time. It's almost a miracle she hasn't caught anything serious yet."

"If she keeps eating as she does, then we can schedule the appointment for tomorrow," Bucky said.

Tony grinned again. "I'll book you in for the end of the week."

The end of the week coincided with a meeting that Bucky could not reschedule. His client was a former employee at Trask Enterprise and had managed to escape right under their noses. Now he was in need of a quick identity change to keep his edge.

Bucky sat at his dining table staring at the laptop in front of him. For the fourth time, he tried to rearrange his route for tomorrow. Maybe if he took the 9 up to Greenfield first, then he could take the highway on the way back down, would be back here quicker and could collect the cat to head south and to the city. He looked at the calculated travel time and scowled. No matter how he planned the route, he would be late for the vet if he had to get back here first.

The cat jumped up on the table and settled down on the keyboard of the laptop without hesitation. Bucky began to pet her.

"You annoying little piece of shit," he said as lovingly as he could. "I guess I'll have to take you with me tomorrow." The cat started purring, though he was sure it was because of the warmth of the laptop and not because of him.

He tried to reach the switch past her fur to turn it off, but she pushed his hand away with her paw.

"Fine, whatever," he said after trying it five times and stood up. "You're sleeping here?" he asked, pointing at the laptop. She returned a meow. "Yeah, I figured."

He took the mug he had just been drinking tea from back to the kitchen and put his files away as best he could while the cat's eyes followed him. Then he walked towards the stairs and switched off the lights. The laptop shone through the dark room, casting the cat's ears as bluish shadows on the wall. Bucky had just reached the top of the stairs when he heard meowing coming from below. He turned and saw the white fur standing at the bottom step, shone on by the light upstairs.

"Seriously?" He looked at her and waited as she made her way up the steps ever so slowly. When she finally reached him, she snuggled against his legs and Bucky had to be careful not to kick her as he continued his way into the bedroom. She followed him curiously and watched as he slipped into his pyjama trousers. When he went into the adjoining bathroom, he managed to close the door just in time and right in front of her nose. Offended, she scratched at it from the outside. "No," Bucky said firmly through the closed door. "A bit of privacy please!" The scratching stopped, which immediately made him suspicious.

When he came back into the bedroom, a white fur ball had curled up in the middle of his bedspread, its eyes already half-closed.

"That is my bed," he said, "your bed is over there." He pointed to the saddlebag still lying in the corner next to the door. Since it served as the cat's bed, he had put a towel and a small pillow in it to make it a little more inviting. But the cat had obviously decided it was time for an upgrade. She opened her eyes and looked at him innocently from the bed.

"At least move over a bit," he said, trying to lift the blanket underneath her enough to get under it. But the cat did not move over a bit.

"I hate you," Bucky sighed, pushing as much of himself as he could under the blanket.

His right arm was hanging out of the bed and on the floor and he felt as if he might lose his balance on the edge of the mattress at any moment. With his left arm under the blanket, he tried to shove the cat further aside and she finally moved very slowly, giving him a few inches more space in his own bed. Eventually, he managed to get himself into a reasonably comfortable position. His arm was still hanging out, but he no longer had the feeling that he was about to fall out of the bed.

He was woken up by a paw in his face. And it took all his willpower to not impulsively swat it away and draw his knife again. He breathed deeply in and out until his consciousness had regained control and the moment of impulse had disappeared. Then he carefully lifted the paw and placed it next to his head on the pillow.

A second later it was back on his face.

"We have appointments," he said to the cat, who didn't seem to care. She had started pawing at his cheek.

"Right. Time to get up." He swung his legs out of bed and the cat made an indignant meow as her paws suddenly met emptiness.

One hour later, Bucky reached the town entrance of Chesterfield, where he would meet his client. He parked his motorbike in a side street, stayed seated for a moment and looked down into his jacket, from which two white ears peeped out.

"You stay in there and you don't mess around, got it?" he said. The cat looked up at him in silence, so he swung himself off the bike and walked up to the temporary flat his client was currently housed in.

To his great surprise, the cat actually complied with his instructions. Only his client was a little confused by the white ears in Bucky's collar. But because Bucky helped him through his crisis in an unswerving professional manner, he said nothing about it and they could manage everything swiftly.

When Bucky arrived at the vet's car park they even were a little earlier than he had planned. Tony's assistant was sitting at the reception counter and beamed when she saw Bucky. Or rather, when she saw the cat peeking out of his jacket.

"Wow, how good she looks. I hardly recognised her," she said, coming around the counter to pet her. Bucky looked awkwardly at the ceiling as she was suddenly so close to him.

"You can already go to room three, Tony should be there any minute," she said.

Bucky nodded and trudged down the familiar corridor to room three. He sat down in the same chair he had been sitting in the night he had found the cat. As he opened his jacket, the cat slid down onto his lap and he began to pet her behind the ears. A soft contented purr filled the room.

The door opened and Tony entered, dressed as usual in his dark blue sturdy vet shirt with short sleeves.

"So, we're still alive, huh?" he said as he looked at the cat with a smile.

"We have that in common," Bucky said without stopping the petting. "We just can't seem to die." Tony gave him a thoughtful look, but when Bucky glanced over, he had already returned to his usual cheeky smile.

Bucky rose from the chair and set the cat down on the treatment table. She looked at him and snuggled against his belly, purring.

"No, not now, Cat," he said while trying to stop her from clambering up on him.

Tony raised his eyebrows briefly before he reached around her torso with his hands and gently pulled her towards him.

"Let's have a look then," he said. "Teeth, fur and claws look good, eyes are attentive, weight...," he set her on the scales, "Not ideal, but we're getting there." Bucky watched Tony's fingers slide through her fur in well-trained motions as he examined her.

"I'd give her the rabies and distemper shots now, so she has all important vaccinations," he said. Bucky nodded and Tony turned away to prepare the shots.

The cat snuggled back against Bucky's belly and this time he started petting her again.

"You can leave and wait in the waiting room again if the injections make you uncomfortable. You wouldn't be the first," Tony said as he turned back around.

"It's okay," Bucky said and made himself look elsewhere. He was clearly too nervous for it not being him who was about to be vaccinated, but the cat. It was the syringes that always made his heart rate go up and caused the scars on his left shoulder to prickle, but the soft fur in his right hand and the cat nestling her head against his belly reassured him.

"And that's it," Tony said and Bucky looked up at him, baffled. Tony winked at him. He had obviously taken advantage of the moment when both cat and owner had been distracted and had completed the vaccination without much fuss.

He was now opening various cabinet doors and gathered little containers as he talked. "You'll get the vaccination card from Riri at the front desk and I'll give you a good mix of essential vitamins so we get this little one back on her feet quickly. Just add it to her regular food once a day and she should be eating it like normal." Bucky nodded while he put the cat back in his jacket. She peered curiously out of his collar and her ears tickled Bucky's chin.

"And maybe you should invest in a proper transport box. Just a suggestion," Tony grinned. Bucky shrugged.

"Why? Works just fine like that," he said, pulling the zip up a little further so the cat was really secure in the jacket.

Tony seemed to stifle a laugh. Then he suddenly became serious again and said, "Well, all the best to you both." His face had turned to a strangely unrelaxed expression. "And you know you can always call me if anything comes up. With her," he added quickly. Bucky nodded and Tony held out his lean hand for a surprisingly firm goodbye handshake. Bucky picked up the vaccination card at the reception counter and left the practice.

"Again?" Bucky asked, looking from his place on the sofa over to the fridge, in annoyance. The cat had sat down in front of the door and was meowing loudly in his direction.

"You just had something, that's at the most," he looked at the clock, "six hours ago?" He scratched his chin in wonder and the cat meowed again.

"Yeah okay, you're right." He put the controller of his gaming console aside and walked over to the kitchen. Immediately the cat stood up and scurried excitedly around his legs as he opened the kitchen cupboard. With one arm he reached into the colourful jumble of tins that had accumulated there and pulled one out at random.

"Fish selection in Jelly," he read out loud, "with Salmon, Tuna, Coley and Whitefish." He raised his eyebrows at the cat. "Well, whatever floats your boat…"

The contents of the tin dropped onto the cat's plate with a smacking sound and she bounced up his legs in excitement. With a spoon, Bucky pressed the vitamin pills Tony had given him into the wet mass of fish in front of him. When he was done he pushed the cat aside with his foot so she wouldn't snatch the plate out of his hand as he set it down in the corner beside the patio door.

"There you go, hungry little brat."

He returned to his place on the sofa, threw the woollen blanket back over his legs and immersed himself in his video game again and the puzzle he had been trying to solve for half an hour.

A strange sound behind him made him turn around. The controller fell clattering to the floor as he jumped up from the sofa and ran over to the patio door. He threw himself onto his knees beside the cat, who lay wheezing next to her plate, from which only a few bites were missing. Bucky knew in an instant that something was wrong. He stroked over her side and felt her trembling beneath his hand as she took shallow, gasping breaths. Panic rose in him and he tried to focus and think straight. He didn't know what had happened or what he should do. But he knew the cat needed help. And he knew someone who could help.

Bucky reached into his pocket for his mobile phone, but he couldn't find it. Frantically, he looked around the room and spotted it on the kitchen table. His shin hit the table leg painfully as he rushed towards it and his fingers were shaking so much that it took him three attempts to unlock the display. Then he dialled Tony's number.

“Bucky, what…” Tony's voice came from the phone, but Bucky interrupted him.

“I need your help, fast!” he said, louder than he had planned. Tony responded immediately.

“What happened? Is the cat alright?”

“No! She collapsed on the floor, I don’t know what’s wrong with her,” Bucky said, struggling to control his voice. Tony on the other hand, suddenly sounded very controlled.

“Alright, calm down, you need to tell me…”

“I’m not calming the fuck down, my cat is dying!” Bucky yelled into the phone.

“Tell me exactly what symptoms she has.” Tony continued, “Can you do that for me?”

“Yes,” Bucky said and slid back onto his knees next to the cat.

“Is she awake? Does she breathe?” Tony asked.

“She is awake, I think,” Bucky said and ran his hand over her head. "Her eyes are almost closed, her breathing is very shallow, she's gasping at times."

“Can you feel her heartbeat? Is it accelerated or slower than usual?”

With shaky fingers, Bucky felt the cat's chest. “Accelerated. It’s beating super fast.”

“Okay, did she eat something recently? Preferably something she hasn’t had before?”

“Yes…” Bucky said with a queasy feeling.

“Did she vomit?”

“No…”

"Okay listen," Tony said "Put her on her right side and keep her rump up so the blood can flow down into her head. Keep her warm and stay with her. I'm at yours in ten." He hung up and Bucky stared at his phone. Then he threw it back on the table and ran back to the sofa to get his blanket.

He wrapped it around the unresponsive and weakly breathing cat as many times as he could.

"I swear to god, I will kill you if you die here," he said to her and shakily stroked the blanket.

Ten minutes had never felt so long to him before. But when he finally heard a car pull into the driveway, he jumped up and opened the front door before Tony had even got his emergency kit out of the car. Without losing time on a greeting he stepped into the house and Bucky led the way to the spot where his cat still lay unresponsive on the floor. Tony got down on his knees beside her and began to carefully examine her head. Bucky also lowered himself to the ground next to them, ready to help if Tony needed his help. But Tony didn't seem to pay him any attention at all when he opened his bag and started medicamenting the cat. He was not explaining what he was doing and the silence in the room pressed heavily on Bucky's ears. He heard the ticking of the clock on the wall and the soft rustling of Tony’s jacket as he moved. The occasional wheezes of the cat sent shivers through his whole body and let his hands tremble. He couldn’t take the tension of not knowing what was happening. He knew the cat was in good hands but just sitting and waiting for a verdict drained him.

He let his back fall against the kitchen counter behind him, dropped his head into his hands languidly and closed his eyes for a moment in an attempt to escape the stress for a second.

When he opened them again, Tony handed him the cat. She was still wrapped in the blanket, but her breathing seemed to have stabilised. Bucky took the cat from him, bedded her on his lap and soothingly stroked her head which was peeking out.

"You know that was close, right?" Tony asked.

"I know," Bucky replied without taking his eyes off the cat. "But I don't know why. Did I do something wrong?"

“No, not at all,” Tony replied. “In fact, you did exactly the right thing. Calling me.” He pointed to the floor next to Bucky. “May I?” Bucky nodded and Tony settled down next to him, also leaning back against the counter.

“She is stable now,” Tony said softly. “She had an anaphylactic shock, due to an allergy, most likely to something in her food”

"Fish," Bucky replied, suddenly realising something. "She never had fish food before."

"Then it's most likely some kind of fish," Tony agreed. As Bucky brushed over the soft fur, guilt began to rise in him. He was responsible for Cat. He had given her the food that had almost killed her. "How was I supposed to know that?" he asked.

Tony gave him a compassionate look from the side before saying, "It was bad luck. You couldn't know that."

“Bad luck?” Bucky replied indignantly. “Cat almost died because of bad luck?”

“I’m sorry,” Tony said quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… there was no way you could have known that. Sorry if that came across as rude. Sometimes I speak faster than I think. And I think pretty damn fast.” He paused. “Sorry, that was inappropriate.”

Bucky shook his head. “It’s alright. Can’t be really mad at you after saving her life. Thank you for coming so fast.”

“That’s my job,” Tony said with a little smirk.

“No seriously,” Bucky said, looking up from the cat and into Tony's face for the first time. “It’s in the middle of the night and I don't know what I would have done without you.” The warm brown of Tony's eyes looking directly into his confused him and Bucky lowered his gaze back to the cat in his arms. “I hate to admit it, but Cat really got to me somehow. Even though she is an annoying thing.”

"Why do you call her Cat?" Tony asked, amused.

"Because she is a cat," Bucky retorted.

"Doesn't she have a name?"

"No. That's why I call her Cat. I didn’t give her a name because I had no intentions in keeping her.” Tony laughed briefly. “For how long? Five Minutes?”

A grin also crept onto Bucky's face. "Don't be ridiculous. Ten at least."

"Well now she definitely needs one," Tony said, reaching out to stroke over her nose as well. Bucky felt Tony's hand lightly touch his own upper arm when he pulled it back again.

"Yeah, I guess I have to come up with something eventually," Bucky said absently and they fell silent. For a while, all that could be heard was the low hum of the fridge next to them. Finally Tony said thoughtfully, "For not wanting to keep her, you put up quite a fight for her life."

"I guess she reminded me of myself," Bucky admitted and kept his eyes fixed on the cat so he didn't need to look at Tony again.

“Why is that?” Tony's voice had taken on a soft tone that Bucky was hearing from him for the first time. He hesitated, unsure if and how much of the truth he should tell Tony. They weren't friends, he was just the vet for his cat, but there was this feeling of familiarity he couldn't quite grasp or explain.

Finally, Bucky said, “I was lost. For a very long time. First literally and then metaphorically. I was helpless, hopeless and hurt. One could say I was a stray cat myself. But I was found, and I had friends who helped me through it. If it weren’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be anymore.”

Tony had become very quiet and listened with attention as Bucky continued to speak. “Cat needed me just like I needed them. And sometimes... you know, sometimes you meet someone, and you just know they are special.” He watched the cat in his arms, who was breathing normally again and seemed to have been falling asleep.

“I know what you mean,” Tony said. “The once-in-a-lifetime moment, when this special someone walks into your life. They force you to adapt, to rethink and before you know it, they have turned your whole life upside down. They didn’t even try, they just happened to do so.”

“This precisely. I could not have worded it better,” Bucky said and ran the finger of his right hand over the head of the sleeping cat. He didn't notice the look Tony gave him from the side.

"I should leave," Tony then said and got up from the kitchen floor. "As you pointed out, it's still in the middle of the night."

"Oh yeah..." Bucky said and for a moment he felt like he was waking up from a trance or a deep dream. Somewhat clumsily with the sleeping cat in his arms, he stood up as well and watched Tony packing up his emergency kit again.

"You have someone waiting for you at home?" Bucky asked, in an attempt to make casual small talk.

Tony's expression stiffened. "Not exactly, no," he said and turned away from Bucky. He double-checked that he had repacked everything and then said, "I'll schedule you in for next week to check on her recovery. But just avoid any fish food and make sure she drinks and you should be fine. Call me if she behaves strange or unusual."

"I will," Bucky said, "Thanks again." But Tony just nodded with his lips pressed tightly together and stepped out of the house into the darkness outside.

The soft purr that woke Bucky the next morning seemed like the most beautiful sound in the world after last night. And as he slowly woke up, he realised that not even his subconscious had sensed danger this time.

Cat had curled up on his chest like a warm vibrating pillow and was purring at him contentedly and very much alive. Bucky lifted the blanket and looked at her underneath. She continued to purr.

"Yeah, whatever," he said, dropping the blanket back on her. "I didn't want to get up anyways."

He slid up in his bed, pushing himself upwards while trying not to move his chest too much, and reached for the book that lay on the bedside table. With one hand buried in the white fur under the blanket and the other in the book, he immersed himself in the world of Middle Earth. Only when Cat began to wriggle her way out of the blanket, meowing and demanding food, did he get up and followed her downstairs to the kitchen.

He read the ingredients of the tin of cat food he retrieved from the cupboard three times before pouring its contents onto a fresh plate. While Cat enthusiastically gorged herself on the food, Bucky kept a close eye on her. And he continued to do so for the next few days, always ready to call Tony should she show any after-effects. But she seemed to have completely returned to her old self and was apparently not bothered at all by her near-death experience, which made Bucky optimistic about the upcoming check-up at the vet.

"Okay, come here," Bucky said and got down on his knees. Cat jumped willingly into his open jacket and he zipped it up over her.

"Who needs a transport box," he said, thinking of Tony who had suggested that to him. But Cat curling up warm and happy in his jacket, or sticking her head out curiously as they cruised along the highway, was something he didn't want to be without.

At the practice, they were again greeted by Riri behind the counter, who kindly said, "Hopefully for the last time today, right?" Bucky nodded but said nothing. If all was finally well with Cat now, he would probably only come by for routine check-ups in the future, which he assumed wouldn't be every few days.

"Yeah, hopefully," Tony said, stepping out of treatment room one behind Bucky. He smiled, but Bucky saw that the smile didn't reach his eyes. "You can go ahead to room three, I'll be there in a second. Riri can you pass me the file of Clint and Lucky?"

Bucky walked down the hall and into treatment room three. He looked around as he set Cat down on the table and really hoped they wouldn't see the inside of this room again for a while. Cat had had enough vet visits for quite some time.

"So, how are we today?" Tony asked as soon as he had entered. He put his tablet down on the desk and approached Bucky and Cat without hesitation.

"Good," Bucky replied, "At least as far as I can tell."

"Let's check on that real quick then," Tony said and began to listen to Cat's chest and palpate her legs. Cat let it happen silently but gave Bucky the usual reproachful look.

"Looks pretty good." Tony then said, making a note on his tablet. "No more allergic shocks?"

"No. I threw all the tins away that contained even traces of fish," Bucky said, handing Cat a treat from his jacket pocket for her good behaviour.

"If you want to, we can test her on allergies," Tony suggested. "I can run a blood test for you to be sure what you can feed her and what to avoid."

"Yes, please," Bucky said. Feeding Cat had become a real test of nerves for him. He had been giving her the same three types of tins for the last few days, the ones he was absolutely sure she could tolerate. He wanted to avoid another allergic reaction at all costs.

Tony nodded. "You can hold her yourself if you're okay with the needle? Or shall I bring Riri in to help?"

"No, I can do it," Bucky said.

"Okay, just hold her tight and make sure she feels safe."

Bucky did as he was told and held Cat tightly with his stronger left arm around her chest while his right hand went through her fur and patted her head. Cat turned her gaze up to him and by the time she realised Tony was taking her blood, it was already over.

"Good girl, Cat," Tony said, carefully closing the vial.

Bucky grinned as he passed another treat to Cat. "I really need to come up with a name, huh?"

"Told you so," Tony replied with a smirk. "Okay, I'll run this through some tests in the lab and be right back. You two can just wait here."

Bucky sat back down on the chair, with Cat on his lap, who seemed to be unusually awake and excited today. She pattered around on his lap, pulled at his trousers with her claws and stuck her head up. Then she nudged Bucky's chin with her nose and began to climb him like a tree.

"Could you just stop being weird?" Bucky said as she reached his shoulders and perched like a parrot behind his head. "For just one minute, please?"

"Shoulder cat, eh?" Tony said as he came back into the room. "Can't blame her for wanting to sit on these shoulders," he said lost in thought as he typed away on his tablet. Bucky was sure he must have misheard. But before he could respond, Tony had cast the data from his tablet onto the large screen on the wall.

"So, as you can see, we have these big peaks here and here," he said, pointing to them, "Which is for tuna and coley. Everything else is pretty fine. No risk in insect bites or anything else, just the fish."

Bucky looked at the screen and at all the different numbers and stats on it. "And you can tell all that from this little bit of blood? In, what was it, three minutes?"

"Yep," Tony replied, " _Joint Antibody & Refined Viral Immune-response Scan _. JARVIS for short. Self-invented, self-programmed, self-built." He had his hands on his hips and Bucky could hear the pride in his voice as he was looking at the screen.

“That is awesome,” Bucky slipped out.

“It is,” Tony agreed. “I’m actually, in all modesty, the only vet within at least 15 states, who can do that. No more time-consuming diet testing, more and quicker results. State-of-the-arts Stark branded tech to enhance the work of vets and the health of pets. We start selling and shipping in October.” It did not escape Bucky's notice how Tony had suddenly changed from vet to salesman. But when he turned back to Bucky and Cat, he was all vet again.

“Anyways, now you know what not to feed her,” he said. “The scar is also healing very well. Keep giving her the vitamins, keep treating her good and come in for regular check-ups twice a year.”

“We will,” Bucky said and petted Cat's head, which was lingering curiously next to his right ear.

Tony offered him his hand. "Until then, all the best!"

Bucky took it, "Thanks," and turned to leave the room.

"Bucky," Tony said suddenly when Bucky already had his hand on the door handle. He turned around again. Tony had started to intertwine his hands and was rocking up and down on his feet. Then he said, "Would you like to meet for coffee sometime? Like, outside the practice?"

Bucky hesitated and eyed Tony, whose arms were now swaying slightly back and forth at his sides. Eventually, Bucky said, "Sure, why not."

"I'll text you," Tony called after him as he left the room and walked out into the car park.

It wasn't until he had got Cat safely off his shoulders and tucked back into his jacket and they were already halfway back home that he realised what had just happened. Had Tony Stark really just asked for a date?

"What am I supposed to wear to a fucking date?" Bucky asked, staring into his wardrobe. Two yellow eyes stared back. "Don't look at me like that, you know damn well I am not equipped to go on a date." Cat meowed in response. Bucky flipped through the few shirts on the hangers. There was no way he could show up there in a shirt. He didn't own a suit, so there was no next level in dressing up after the shirt. He couldn't possibly unpack that straight for the first date. But the rest of his wardrobe consisted mainly of task clothing, sturdy trousers with lots of pockets and Kevlar-reinforced jackets with only one sleeve.

His eyes fell on the pile of clothes he had washed but not yet sorted into the wardrobe. It was a single heap of black fabric, occasionally interrupted by dark grey or even darker blue. At least that made it easier for him to decide on a colour to wear.

"Do you think Tony will take offence if I show up in a leather jacket?" he asked Cat. "I mean... it's no real leather... but still." She rolled onto her side. Bucky sighed. "Guess I'm about to find out."

As he pulled said jacket out of the pile, trying to keep the rest as stacked as possible, his phone vibrated. He winced and as he yanked it out of his pocket and knocked over the entire stack of clothes. While Cat jumped out of the wardrobe and started playing with his clothes on the ground, Bucky read the message.

"Coffee Potts, 5 pm, don't be late." He stared at the words with his heart suddenly and unexpectedly racing. Somehow he had not believed that Tony would actually text him. But now he had it in black and white, Tony wanted to meet with him for a coffee date. He hesitated, looking at the empty text box for a while before he typed his reply, "I'll be there."

"No, I'm not taking you with me. I know you like him, but this is _my_ date," Bucky said, trying to stop Cat from climbing into his jacket. "You stay here and try not to break anything until I'm back." She stared at him wide-eyed as if she couldn't believe he was actually leaving her alone. And even worse, that he was planning to ride a motorbike alone.

"I should add Dork to the list," he said, while he was simultaneously trying to stop Cat from following him outside and closing the door without jamming her or his foot. It didn't work.

"Okay fine," Bucky said, stepping back inside. "This is extortion and you know it." He walked over to the kitchen cupboard and pulled out the box of treats. As soon as he had dropped a handful onto her plate, Cat pounced on it excitedly. Bucky quickly stowed the box cat-proof again and left the house while Cat was distracted.

The ride into the city felt longer than usual and was over exceptionally quickly at the same time. When he turned into the car park of Coffee Potts, he was ten minutes earlier than he had planned. Uncertainly, he remained seated on his motorbike. Tony surely had a lot to do and probably wasn't here yet. Bucky didn't want to be the one who was over punctual and waited at the door for the other person with folded arms.

While he was still mulling and trying to sort out his options, a white Audi turned into the parking space next to him and Tony got out. Relieved that this settled his deliberations, Bucky gave him a smile that was perhaps a little too enthusiastic.

"Hi," Tony said, smiling back. "I wasn't sure you would come."

"I said, I'll be there," Bucky replied.

"I know. But the things you say and the things you do are not always the same."

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked in confusion, but Tony just waved it off and shook his head.

"Oh, nothing. Shall we go in? Or do you want to stay on that bike? I mean it's a pretty rad bike for sure, but I doubt they serve outside the building."

Bucky quickly swung his leg over the seat and got off the bike.

As they entered the coffee shop, the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit Bucky's nose. Spoons clattered on plates and at cups as Tony made his way through the waiting customers. Bucky followed him as closely as he could without touching him as he led them straight to an empty spot in the corner. The small wooden table was right in front of the window and how it could not yet be occupied when the whole shop seemed to be full was a mystery to Bucky. But he sat down and tried not to think too much about the fact that Tony was sitting directly opposite him and thus only a few inches away.

They had barely taken off their jackets when a tall, red-haired woman wearing a dark apron approached their table.

"Thanks for saving us a table, Miss Potts," Tony said, smiling kindly at her.

"For you always, Mr Stark. The usual? Or do you need a menu?"

"I don't know," he looked over at Bucky. "Do we need a menu?"

Bucky, caught by surprise, shook his head reflexively before he knew what he denied. Actually, he was interested in what special beverages they might be offering here, but he couldn't backpedal now. So he ordered what he always ordered, "I'll take a cappuccino, please." Miss Potts nodded.

"The usual for me, darling," Tony said, smiling at her. She grinned back and turned away to prepare their order.

"Pepper is a friend of mine," Tony explained when she was gone. "And the owner of the shop. I'm a well known regular here, so she was so kind and reserved a table for me. They usually don't take reservations."

"Neat," Bucky said, looking around. The rustic reddish-brown brick wall behind Tony matched well with the dark blue shirt he was wearing and the soft natural light coming in through the window next to them made his hair look browner than usual.

"Yeah, it's nice to have friends in special places," he said. Bucky nodded and they fell silent.

"So, how's the cat?" Tony asked, and started fiddling with the black napkin on the table in front of him.

"Oh she's fine," Bucky said, glad that Tony had brought up a light subject that was easy to talk about. "She wanted to come along and I had to trick her into staying. I just hope the house still stands when I come home."

Tony gave a small laugh. It was a warm, hearty laugh that immediately made Bucky feel relaxed in his presence. “Oh come on, she is not that bad.”

“She is a troublemaker for sure,” Bucky insisted.

“Another thing you two have in common,” Tony said.

Bucky paused. “What do you mean by that?”

Tony averted his eyes. “Oh nothing, it’s just… you have these vibes, you know?”

“These vibes?” Bucky asked and raised his eyebrows.

“Big long-haired guy, weird metal arm, scary leather jacket, motorbike and all.”

The corners of Bucky's mouth twitched up.

Pepper came back to the table with their order, liberating Bucky from the need to respond. She placed a double espresso and a small glass of water in front of Tony and Bucky took his cappuccino. "Would that be all, Mr Stark?" she asked.

"That would be all, Miss Potts," he replied and she left them alone again. Tony took the water glass and made a little toast movement in Bucky's direction, who also took a sip of his drink. He wasn't exactly a coffee connoisseur, but it really tasted pretty good.

"Pepper makes the best coffee in town. No discussion," Tony said as he put his glass down again "So, you already know what _I_ do for a living. But what about you?" he asked as he began stirring his espresso. "Are you in some sketchy biker gang? Do you kill people for money? Do I have to be afraid when I meet you?"

"Close, but not quite," Bucky replied, taking another sip to give himself some time to think. "I help people who need a second chance," he said vaguely.

"So, you are some kind of lawyer?"

This time Bucky had to grin widely and Tony's mouth also twitched. “Definitely not! Actually, uhm… I am not always moving on the bright side of the law.” He wasn't sure how much he should tell Tony, but he seemed more interested than deterred, so Bucky said, “I get new identities for people who are in over their head. Get them out of a dangerous social environment so they can start over.”

“That sounds like an honourable way to earn money,” Tony said genuinely.

“It is,” Bucky agreed, “But it’s not always legal…”

Tony waved it off. “Eh, I don’t care about legal or not. You do some important work out there, a lot of people need second chances.”

“I know,” Bucky said and looked away. That Tony considered his work important and valuable meant more to him than he wanted to admit.

“This is my second chance as well,” Tony said and gestured loosely around them.

Bucky looked at him again in surprise. “You got a new name, a new passport and fled from your old life?”

“Yes, and no,” Tony said, “I definitely fled from my old life. But I was lucky enough to keep my name and my passport. I needed to get away from my hometown, away from my father. Becoming a vet in the midwest was my second chance.”

“I’m glad you took it,” Bucky said, trying to keep his eyes on Tony.

“So am I. It led me to you, after all.” Tony smiled as he took another sip of espresso. Bucky looked shyly into his cup. But he really wanted to learn more about Tony.

“So, you wanted to become a vet as a child?”

Tony pondered for a while before answering. “I don’t really know what I wanted to be as a child. I guess being a superhero was up there but that was out of the question. My father always told me what to do. He has this huge company and I was basically raised to take over. But… “ he paused, his expression had darkened. “Well, manufacturing weapons is not really up my alley. I wanted to use my resources to do some good. But I was never good with people, so vet it is.” he shrugged and took another sip. Then he steered the conversation back to Bucky. “What did you want to become as a kid? Lawyer?”

“Oh hell no,” Bucky laughed. “I always wanted to be a mechanic or an engineer, build cool stuff, rockets maybe. I always liked space.” Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise but said nothing. “What? That hard to believe?” Bucky grinned.

“No, not at all,” Tony said quickly. “It’s just… well I am an engineer. I majored in robotics before I became a vet. I had a project on fully automated telescopes to observe the milky way”

“Milky Way,” Bucky repeated, reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone.

“Yeah you know… the galaxy that contains our solar system? Chocolate bar with milky nougat inside? Winter sports area in the Italian Alps?”

“Alpine,” Bucky said and also added it to his list.

“Toothpaste,” Tony retorted.

“What?”

“I thought we were listing random white things,” Tony said cheekily.

“No, I… I have this list,” Bucky said and pointed to his phone. “I try to come up with a proper name for Cat.”

“About time,” Tony grinned.

“Yeah, yeah,” Bucky said and rolled his eyes. “But It’s so hard I just can’t decide. I have at least 25 names on that list by now but nothing really clicks. I asked a few of my friends already, but Steve is downright not helpful telling me that it’s my cat and that I need to pick something _I’m_ happy with and not something _he’s_ happy with. And Nat just told me that she doesn't care unless I teach the cat to kill bad guys.”

“Sounds like awful friends you have there,” Tony said laughing. “What’s on that list? Maybe I can help. I know one or two cats.”

Bucky shifted the phone with the list across the table towards him. “I was just brainstorming, though. Don’t expect anything brilliant.”

Tony nodded as he went through the list. “I like Alpine,” he said then. “You wrote that down just now, didn’t you?”

Bucky nodded and picked up his phone again. “Yeah, because you said something about the Italian Alps.”

“Then I like it even better, because it came from me,” Tony smirked. “But for real, that’s a good name. The rest is either very generic or very cheesy.”

“I will think about it,” Bucky said, “Wasn’t my favourite so far.” He put his phone away again and took another sip of coffee.

“You should trust me. I’m an engineer,” Tony said and winked.

Bucky laughed and it released the last bit of tension that had been lingering inside him. Talking to Tony was delightfully easy. He didn't seem to judge him for anything and was genuinely interested in what he had to say. In return, Bucky could listen to Tony for hours. Even the most boring story he would tell with so much enthusiasm and studded with witty jokes that Bucky couldn't help but literally hang on to his every word.

He barely noticed how he emptied his cappuccino, ordered another and emptied that one too. When Pepper came to their table for the third time, she said, "I'm terribly sorry, Mr Stark, but we're closing. So I need to ask you to leave."

"That's fine, darling," Tony said, pulling out his credit card. "Give yourself a generous tip, will you?"

She took the card and walked over to the counter to finish the bill.

"You know I have my own money right? I can pay for myself," Bucky said, feeling guilty on the spot.

"And you know this is a date right? I asked you out, I'm paying. Simple as that." Tony threw on his jacket as Pepper handed his card back to him.

Bucky, somewhat flustered, also put on his jacket. He had forgotten it had been a date. Tony's company was pleasant, easy-going and relaxed. But now the word "date" made him nervous. Did Tony expect anything from him now? Weren't there some kind of rules about what had to happen on a first date for it to be successful and to lead to a second? Normally you would probably exchange phone numbers, but they had already done that. Did Tony expect him to invite him to his house now?

His head was buzzing as they stepped out of the coffee shop and back onto the street. The sun was already low and the buildings around them cast long shadows on the ground.

"Soo..." Bucky said uncertainly as they stood in the car park. "Any plans for tonight?" He didn't know what he was actually going for yet, but he had a feeling that the next step was expected of him now. Even if he wasn't sure what exactly the next step was and if he even wanted to take it.

"Depends. What are you implying here?" Tony replied suspiciously.

"Nothing!" Bucky said quickly, "I was just..."

Tony grinned. "I appreciate it. And I'd also love to spend some more time with you. But I have to work tomorrow and there is still a lot on my desk to finish so I should probably head home."

"Yeah... Probably," Bucky said, not quite able to suppress the rising feeling of disappointment.

"I had a good time, Bucky," Tony then said. "We should do that again." And without warning, he pulled Bucky into a tight hug that left him breathless for a moment. In the few seconds they spent in that embrace, Bucky felt Tony's arms on his back, felt Tony's hair tickling his cheek, and smelled his perfume. When Tony let go of him again, Bucky had the urge to protest.

"I'll text you?" Tony asked as he opened the door of his car.

Bucky nodded. "Yeah. Bye, Tony."

"Bye," he replied, winking and starting the engine. "And pet Alpine from me." He rolled out of the car park, leaving Bucky alone.

He sat down on his bike and stared into the air for a few seconds without really seeing. Then the feeling of joy outweighed the disappointment. Yes, he would have liked to accompany Tony home or invite him over or anything to just spend more time with him. On the other hand, they had just spent quite some hours together and they had been so nice, relaxed and unforced that he could hardly believe it had really happened. As he kicked on the engine, he grinned widely. Yes, they should definitely do that again.

The grin Tony had put on Bucky's face lasted until he arrived home. He unlocked the front door, stepped into the dark living room and switched on the light. For a moment he let his gaze wander around the room examining it and also glanced over to the kitchen. Everything looked as usual. Cat had obviously neither torn up the furniture nor thrown things off the shelves or tables. But he couldn't spot her at first sight, which was always suspicious.

But even his troublemaker cat could not dampen his mood. He took off his shoes and jacket and flopped lengthways on the sofa, still grinning widely.

"There you are," he said as the cat sneaked around the corner on silent paws. In one leap she had jumped onto his lap and began to knead his legs with her paws. Bucky began to pet her and her purr filled the silent room.

"What do you think about Alpine?" he asked her. She just looked at him and continued to knead him.

His phone vibrated and he struggled to get it out of his pocket without knocking the cat off the sofa. When he finally held the phone in his hand, he saw that Tony had texted him.

"Thanks for the great time. Hope you got home safe." Bucky's grin widened if that was even possible. He switched the hand he was petting the cat with to type on the touch screen and wrote, "Thank you too. I just arrived at home." Then he hesitated, fingers buried in white fur. Eventually, he added, "Alpine says hello," and sent the message. Tony was right, it was a good name.

"Tomorrow evening, 6 pm, if you're free. I pick you up. Get your space suit ready!" Bucky stared at the message. Then down to Alpine, who sat in front of him, wide-eyed, waiting for her food he still held in his hand.

"Get your space suit ready?" he asked her, "What is that supposed to mean?" She tilted her head and continued to look at the tin can in his hand. "Maybe I can find my old NASA shirt," he pondered aloud. Alpine meowed and Bucky remembered what he had actually just been doing. He poured the contents of the tin onto her plate and continued to wonder what Tony was up to.

But no brainwave occurred to him until Tony’s car drove up his driveway the next evening.

"No, you stay here," he told Alpine and this time he didn't have to bribe her to stay in the house as he opened the door and stepped out. Again Tony pulled him into a warm hug and Bucky noticed he was wearing a different perfume than last time.

"Would it be cheesy to tell you, I missed you?" Tony asked as he let go of him again.

"No, it's fine," Bucky replied, grinning. "I missed you too." He walked around the car and got in on the passenger side. "Where are you taking me?" he asked as Tony started the engine and rolled backwards down the driveway.

"Somewhere fun," Tony replied, giving him a fleeting glance. "You told me you like space. So we're going to space."

Bucky stared at him from the side, not knowing what to say to that.

"Did you know there is a big NASA Exhibition in Indianapolis this month?" Tony continued and Bucky's eyes got wide. "You have your space suit ready?"

Bucky didn't think he had ever been on a better date. Walking through the exhibition with Tony by his side was fantastic. Not only did they spend time together, but Tony knew a lot of interesting things about space that weren't on the signs. Every now and then one of them would make an inappropriate comment and it would take them ten minutes to recover from laughing at some silly remark. And the impressive light show in the built-in planetarium was only topped by the fact that Tony, as soon as the lights had gone out, placed his head on Bucky's shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. At first, Bucky looked around uneasily, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention. But he quickly moved on to just enjoying the sensation of Tony's head at his side.

They wrapped up the visit with a tour through the gift shop where Bucky had to restrain himself a lot from buying everything that seemed only remotely cool to him. But when he saw a hoodie that looked like a spacesuit and on which he could even have his own name printed, he gave in. Tony didn't even bother to hide the fact that if it had been up to him, he would have loved to buy the whole shop and cart it off to Bucky's house. They agreed that Tony could buy Bucky exactly one thing. All the way back, Bucky held the box close to his chest and could not wait to try it out at home.

Alpine was sitting in that very box, having it conquered the second it had been empty and was watching him curiously over the edge as he inspected the contents. When Bucky switched on the large circular lamp in his hand she startled and toppled over along with the box.

Bucky carefully placed the lamp on his bedside table and stared in fascination at the ceiling above his bed. It was bathed in a dark blue that moved and changed in slow waves. Little white points of light shimmered on it, some bigger than others, just like the stars in the night sky outside. Bucky could even make out some of the constellations he knew. Alpine freed herself from the box and jumped excitedly across the bed and Bucky. With her head up and paws outstretched, she tried to reach the twinkling stars on the ceiling. Eventually, she gave in, exhausted, and curled up on Bucky's chest, watching the artificial sky above them as well.

Careful not to startle her again, Bucky reached for his phone and opened the camera. It took him a few attempts to find an angle at which both he and Alpine, as well as the starry sky above them, could be seen in the picture. But finally, he managed to take an acceptable photo.

"Alpine enjoying the view" he typed and sent the photo to Tony. The reply came only a few seconds later.

"Me too ;)"

Bucky smiled.

The next morning, Bucky was woken up by a pile of fur. Alpine had sprawled across his head and her tail tickled Bucky's chin.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" he said, gently pushing the white ball of fur down from his head. She looked at him accusingly and crawled under the blanket.

"Good for you that you can stay in bed, but I have to get going," he said, rolling out of bed. She poked her head out of the warm blanket and purred comfortably. Bucky rolled his eyes and shuffled into the bathroom while checking his phone. Tony had sent him a video.

"Had an idea last night, woke up to this. I call it BUCK," was the caption. Curious, Bucky tapped the short clip, which Tony had obviously recorded with a second camera. Bucky recognised Tony's hands holding his phone up towards a real night sky. On the screen shone the stars that Bucky had observed on his bedroom ceiling last night. Tony's app made the small dots light up in bright colours and a moment later an apparently random melody sounded. Bucky grinned. Only when he watched the video a second time did he see the lettering that appeared on the edge of Tony's phone display as the camera captured the stars above him. " _Basic Utilisation of Celestial Keys_."

"BUCK" Bucky repeated, shaking his head with a grin. Then he saw the second message just below the video. "just kidding, I didn't sleep"

The supposedly innocent video caught up with him again a few minutes later, as he sat at the kitchen table drinking his morning coffee. While he was having cereals for breakfast, Alpine toddled in. Her fur tickled his bare feet as she snuck around his legs before jumping onto the vacant chair next to him. Innocently she sat down and intently watched him eat.

"Okay Alpine, I need your honest opinion," he said, pointing at her with his spoon, "And don't hold back, I can take the truth." He took another bite of cereals and chewed on them thoughtfully for a long time before saying, "Am I good enough for this man?"

He looked at her, she tilted her head. "He is... " He searched for words that were strong enough to describe Tony. "He is funny, smart, confident, so damn handsome, he wants to do good in this messed up world, he is rich as fuck and on top of it the man is a goddamn genius." Alpine looked at him unblinkingly as he spiralled into his monologue.

"How can I ever keep up with that? I'm... just a one-armed kid from Shelbyville who makes his money the semi-legal way and spends the rest of his time lost in fictional worlds." Alpine reached out with her paw and tried to steal the cereals from his spoon. Bucky quickly moved it out of reach.

"Yeah I know he said he doesn't care if I work illegally, but he's a vet, he went to university. Twice. I didn't even make it to college. We're on completely different levels, don't you think?" Alpine had stuck her head into the cereal box on the table before Bucky could react and as he quickly brought the box to safety, she meowed at him.

"Yes, it's nice how it is. I like to have him around, it's new and exciting! But, it can never last, you know? We're too different." He sighed and was about to take another spoonful of cereals when he noticed that Alpine had started to drink the milk from his bowl. He pulled it out from under her head. "I'm trying to have a serious conversation here," he said to her. "I should be honest with him, shouldn't I? He deserves it." Just the thought of it depressed him. But if a relationship between them was doomed from the start, what was the point of maintaining the illusion?

Still in a depressed mood, he left the house half an hour later to see his client. He swung the big black backpack with the documents and backup plans onto his back and closed the front door behind him without Alpine interfering. As he drove along the highway on his motorbike, he was still thinking about Tony. He couldn't possibly see anything in him. With his looks and engaging personality, Tony had absolutely free choice in his partner. He could have anybody. The idea that he could really want to make a long-term commitment to Bucky, of all people, was just ridiculous.

He passed the city entrance sign and turned right heading towards his client's flat. As usual, he parked the motorbike somewhat hidden in a side street and was just attaching the anti-theft lock to the rear wheel when he heard it. A low meowing had come from near him and his bag began to shake.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me!" he groaned and set the backpack down. He had barely unzipped it when two white ears stuck out towards him and the next moment Alpine was looking at him out of big innocent eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking at her angrily. "I can't take you with me. Not today." His client had announced that he was in an extremely difficult predicament and that it could possibly get ugly. He didn't know yet to what extent this would really happen, clients, in general, tend to overreact, but there was no way he would bring his cat along.

She just meowed at him again and began to play happily with the zip of the bag. Bucky thought very quickly. There wasn't enough time left to bring her home again, even if he sped. But taking her with him was not an option either.

"You are terrible," he said and zipped the bag back up, but left it just open enough for her to look out without falling. Then he swung himself onto the bike again and kicked it back on.

Tony's practice was only a few streets away and as Bucky pulled into the car park he already felt bad. He remembered the night they first met and how Tony had stated very clearly that he was not a pet sanctuary. And besides, Bucky didn't really want to ask him for a favour out of the blue, especially not when he himself was so unclear about their relationship or friendship and everything in general. But he couldn't think of any other way to solve his problem quickly. And after all, the priority here was to protect Alpine, and who was better suited for that than the vet she was familiar with?

Riri welcomed him with a warm smile as he entered the practice.

"Bucky, is everything alright with Alpine? You don't have an appointment today, do you?"

"Yeah, no," Bucky said, clearing his throat, "Everything's okay. Can I talk to Tony for a minute?"

She looked down the hall. "He's in room three right now. If you wait for a second, I'll go get him."

"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks."

She stood up and peeked through the door into room three. Bucky heard her talking quietly to Tony, and Tony giving a muffled reply, then she closed the door and came back to Bucky. "He'll be here right away."

Tony came out of the room a few minutes later and looked at Bucky in surprise. "You could have texted me, you know. What's so urgent?"

Bucky took off his backpack and held it out to Tony so Alpine was looking at him from inside the bag. "She sneaked into my bag," Bucky said and Tony started to grin. "I can't take her with me, today’s client is in a rough spot." Tony's grin began to flicker. "Can you take her for the day?" The grin died.

"Bucky," he said cautiously, "I'm working. I can't keep an eye on her and I can't let her near the other pets either."

"We can put her in the break room," Riri interjected from the counter. "It's not big but it will do for one day."

Tony considered for a moment, eyeing Bucky closely. "Fine, yeah we can do that," he finally agreed. "But only for today and only because it's urgent! Don't get any ideas about me being your cat sitter!" he added, raising a finger as a warning.

"Thank you!" Bucky said and hugged Tony, but let go of him very quickly again.

"No problem," Tony smiled.

Bucky freed Alpine from the backpack and handed her to Riri. "Behave yourself, okay?" he warned the cat. She meowed.

"So, a client in a rough spot, you said?" Tony asked as Riri took Alpine into the break room.

"Yeah, I don't know all of it as of now, but apparently there is some kind of Mafia involved," Bucky replied casually, closing the backpack again.

"Be careful, okay?" Tony said, genuine concern resonating in his voice.

"Sure," Bucky said, putting the empty, much lighter backpack on again. "Business as usual." He waved at Tony and left the practice. If he hurried, he would make it to the client even before the appointed time.

Rough spot, was a gross understatement, as Bucky had to discover. His client was not being threatened or blackmailed by a second-rate mafia, he was the head of a Russian intelligence agency. And he had a sudden desire to get out of the whole thing. Not necessarily the wisest choice when you still owed horrendous sums to several opposing parties, when death threats came from within your own ranks and when your own wife knew neither about the secret service nor about the planned exit.

Bucky got into no less than three separate shootings and two stabbings that day. But by the time night fell, he had managed to move them both to a safe house where they would receive their new passports and plane tickets to Brazil tomorrow.

When Bucky left the secure area of the hideout, it was already dark and Tony's practice must have closed long ago. Bucky cursed as he swung himself onto his motorbike and yanked out his mobile phone. When he unlocked it to call Tony, he saw the message he had sent him light up.

"We're waiting for you at home, 1100 Fairfield Dr."

Bucky stared at the text. And at the picture, he had sent with it. Alpine was curled up on Tony's lap, who was apparently sitting in a pretty large and modern living room. Bucky could make out a fireplace in the background and what seemed to be expensive tiles under an artfully woven rug. The furnishings that had made it into this small section of the picture alone had to be worth more than Bucky's entire house. And Tony himself looked outrageously good, as always. His workday must have been at least as long as Bucky's, but Tony's hairdo was impeccable, his sweatshirt was ironed and he had a relaxed smile for the camera. Bucky, on the other hand, came back from his work with dishevelled hair, a cut on his face and probably stank of blood, gunpowder and sweat. It was unfair. But as he started the engine of the bike, he had made a decision.

The house that awaited him at 1100 Fairfield Drive reinforced this decision. It was enormous. The water fountain that softly gurgled in the front yard was about the size of Bucky's bedroom, and the neat concrete driveway led straight down to the subterranean garage. Above it towered two storeys with gigantic glass fronts from which soft golden light fell outside. Bucky parked his motorbike uncomfortably on the path next to the perfectly manicured lawn. He had rarely felt so out of place.

With his head lowered, he walked up the stone steps to the front door, which was made of polished dark wood, and rang the bell. He would just pick up Alpine, wish Tony good luck and leave. No big goodbyes. He was just his vet. They'd been on two dates, had texted once in a while, that was it. No need for big farewells.

His resolve crumbled when Tony opened the big door for him, looking even better in person than in the photo he'd sent him. His face had these adorable little wrinkles when he smiled at him. “Hey, you’re late.”

“Yeah, I… had a busy day,” Bucky said evasively.

“I see that. What happened?” Tony asked and Bucky felt his eyes resting on the dried blood on his cheek, worrying.

“It’s nothing. Just a little cut. Happens in my job,” because unlike you I’m not an academic in a safe and legal profession, he added mentally.

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Tony replied. Why on earth was he so annoyingly caring?

“It’s fine, really,” Bucky said, “Where is Alpine?”

“Somewhere in the living room I think,” Tony said. “You want to come in?”

“No… I… “ Bucky frantically searched for an excuse. “I’m tired. Hungry. It’s been a long day, I just want to go home.”

“I can… cook something?” Tony suggested, “Or maybe just order a pizza? Carbonell’s is just around the corner, they have a great pepperoni pizza.”

“No, thanks,” Bucky said firmly, more to convince himself than anything else. If Tony kept talking to him like that, he would cave in in the end. Couldn't he just let him go? “I’m just here to take Alpine with me and then I’m gone.”

“Oh,” Tony said and Bucky saw the disappointment in his gaze. That didn't make it any easier. Then it seemed to dawn on Tony and he eyed Bucky sceptically. “What do you mean gone?”

Shit.

Bucky hadn't intended to say it so directly. Saying it out loud would probably hurt more than just walking away and letting their relationship, or whatever it was, slowly fizzle out. But now Tony was standing in front of him, looking at him suspiciously, waiting for an answer.

"I'm ... not the right one for you," Bucky began, and Tony's chin dropped. "I mean look at you. And then look at me. You deserve someone on your level."

Tony's expression changed from perplexed to confused to angry in a matter of seconds. "Could you please cut that bullshit? I don't want _someone on my level_." He put the words in inverted commas with his fingers as he quoted Bucky.

"Good to know we agree on that one," the latter interjected dryly.

"Where does that even come from all of a sudden?" Tony asked, his expression shifting back towards confusion rather than anger.

"Can I please take my cat now?" Bucky asked. He didn't have the energy to have this conversation. He didn't want to have this conversation and certainly, he didn't want to give up what they had had. But it was the only right thing to do.

"No!" Tony exclaimed and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Not until you tell me what's going on with you. I thought we were doing great, and now you're all... I don’t even know! At least tell me why."

"I'm not obliged to tell you shit," Bucky hurled at him, feeling the rude words as a physical stabbing pain in his chest. "We talked, we had some fun meetings, that's all. No need to make a fuss about it." It had been more, he had felt it, and he had loved it. He was doing Tony wrong and everything inside him seemed to squirm and fight it, but Bucky kept up the facade and stared at him bitterly. If Tony wouldn't let him go willingly, he would have to make him do it some other way.

But apparently, the only thing his harsh words had done was to make Tony argue with him even more determinedly. "Why do you always pretend you don't give a shit?" he exclaimed and even took a step closer. "I know you care, I see you care. You care so much it hurts and yet you are afraid to let it show, why?"

Tony had hit the nail on the head. He stood with his arms folded so close to him that Bucky could count the wrinkles on his forehead as Tony stared angrily at him. The smell of his perfume went straight into his memory, bringing up the images and feelings he had wanted to suppress. How easy it had always been to talk to Tony, the interests they shared, his warm and heartfelt embraces. Bucky struggled for words and Tony gave him no assistance. He just looked at him and waited for him to give him a sufficient answer. Bucky didn't want to push him away, didn't want to lose what they had, and he felt two instincts deep inside him fighting a silent battle. The desire for intimacy and for comfort against the pure self-protection and primal survival instinct.

And then the words burst out of him, louder and more vigorously than he had intended. "Because I was punished for caring! For a very long time. And it left scars that don't heal that easily!"

Tony stayed silent, but Bucky saw his facial expression change.

When he spoke again his voice had taken on a gentle tone. "You know I won't punish you for caring, right? I could never."

"I know," Bucky said dejectedly, looking down to the ground. Inside him, the conflict raged wilder than ever. He wanted to run away, as far away as he could from this man who seemed to be too good for the world. He didn't want to be the one who brought chaos and destruction into Tony's life. At the same time, he wanted to just fall into his arms and believe his words. He wanted to trust him, to try and commit to it and take the plunge. But he just couldn't.

"I'm broken, Tony." They had got to the heart of the problem. It was not rational. His heart and his brain both were powerless against the trauma and the fear inside him. And no one, not even Tony, would ever be able to fully understand it. "And you are... so goddamn perfect."

"The hell I am," Tony said. Bucky felt Tony's warm hands settle on either side of his face and lift his head slightly so their eyes met.

"Listen," he said. "You think you are the broken one here. And maybe you're right. But I'm a doctor. And an engineer. And I'd love to try and fix you if you let me."

For a moment they looked at each other, then Tony pulled Bucky into a tight hug. It was the last bit, the final touch, that convinced Bucky. He let himself fall into Tony's arms, snuggled up to him and let the feeling of comfort soak deep into him. The sensation of Tony’s strong arms around him, holding him tight and the sound of his regular breathing close to Bucky’s ear made his knees go weak. He was glad he could hold on to Tony like that, who supported him like a rock in a storm-lashed ocean of emotions. He couldn't remember ever being hugged like that. It wasn't just a hug, it was a promise. A promise to be there for each other.

It felt like an eternity as they stood on the doorstep, wrapped tightly around each other. Finally, without letting go of him, Tony asked, "You want to stay?"

"Do you want me to?" Bucky replied face pressed into his shoulder.

"Absolutely."

They broke apart and now Bucky managed to look Tony in the eye again on his own again. "Then I'll stay."

Tony stepped back and let Bucky enter his house. As he closed the door behind him, Alpine came hopping around the corner.

"Oh, now you show up," Bucky said, petting her, "I would have needed that five minutes ago."

"Good thing she didn't," Tony said, "You would have left if I hadn't had a hostage. Good job, Alpine."

Bucky grimaced and Tony immediately backpedalled "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright," Bucky placated him, "I was an idiot. Another thing I will have to live with."

Tony led them both into the large living room area and Bucky recognised the fireplace from the photo he had sent. It seemed ages ago since he had looked at it. Now he glanced around the room, trying not to think about how much each object he saw was probably worth.

"You’re still hungry?" Tony asked.

Bucky nodded, glad for the distraction. "Yeah, I would take that pizza now."

"I'm on it," Tony smiled and disappeared into one of the adjoining rooms.

Bucky settled down on the couch and Alpine jumped on his lap as usual and immediately started kneading him.

"You know, all of this is your fault, right?" Bucky said and resumed petting her. She just purred as if she was perfectly happy with that and Bucky couldn't blame her.

"Big pepperoni pizza is on its way," Tony said, "Estimated time of arrival, T minus 20 minutes." He put his phone down on the coffee table and then sat down on the sofa next to Bucky. He reached out and began to pet Alpine as well, who could hardly believe her luck and purred louder than ever. Tony and Bucky, however, were silent.

"Thanks," Bucky finally said, "For everything. And I'm sorry for what I said. Back there. I was... desperate, I guess."

Tony smiled sadly at him. “You still don’t believe me, do you?”

“What?”

“The thing is,” he said, bending one leg on the couch to turn towards Bucky. “I really want you to stay. Not just today. I want to have you around. I knew that from the start.”

“When we were at Coffee Potts?” Bucky asked, unsure how to react to the sudden confession.

“Even before,” Tony replied. “You walked into my practice, in the middle of the night, looking like the scariest biker assassin I have ever seen and then you got this wounded cat out, and got all soft and caring for it and wanted it to live.”

“How many biker assassins have you seen?”

“That was rhetorical.” Tony rolled his eyes. “But I knew you were special, that’s why I wanted to get to know you. And with every new thing I learned about you, I crushed harder.”

“You had a crush? On me?” Bucky looked at him in disbelief.

“Had? I still have!” Tony laughed. “And yes, of course on you, dumbass. And don’t tell me that is not mutual.”

Bucky hesitated and averted his eyes while he was thinking, his fingers buried in Alpine's fur. Yes, he fell for Tony. There was no point in denying it. But if he admitted it, there was no going back. No safety net, no parachute that could catch him if he fell.

“It is mutual, right?” Tony repeated uncertainly as Bucky said nothing. “Because if not, this whole thing here will get pretty awkward pretty quick.”

“Yes…” Bucky finally said hesitantly. “It is mutual.”

“Thank god, you scared me,” Tony said relieved.

“I’m just not good with this kind of things,” Bucky admitted, still avoiding looking at Tony.

"Me neither. We'll figure it out along the way."

Bucky finally turned his head and looked at Tony, who had suddenly come very close. "If you don't mind, I'd like to kiss you now"

"I don't mind" In fact, he longed for it. And as Tony's lips settled on his and he felt his hand on his cheek again, his stomach began to tingle as if he had missed a step going downstairs.

He had jumped. The only question was whether he would fly or whether he would painfully hit the ground. He became absorbed in the kiss, not wanting to think about falling while he was still flying, but wanting to hold on to this moment forever, no matter what happened afterwards.

As Tony slowly pulled away from him, Bucky saw that his cheeks had taken on a hint of pink. 

"You know this feeling when you wait for something and you play it through in your head over and over and when it finally happens, the real feeling can't keep up with what you imagined?" he said and Bucky's heart sank. "This was not it. This was better. A thousand times better," Tony added with glowing eyes and Bucky grinned.

"Again?" Tony asked almost pleadingly and this time it was Bucky who leaned over to press his lips to Tony's. Alpine purred happily between them as they got lost in this second, even longer kiss. Only the sound of the doorbell could separate them.

Tony stood up. "I am happy to continue this after dinner. You'll stay for after dinner, right?"

"Don't worry," Bucky said, looking up at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

Tony leaned down and pressed another fleeting kiss to his lips before hurrying to the door to receive their pizza.

Bucky turned to Alpine in his lap, who was looking at him with wide eyes but Bucky knew she would be smirking if she could.

"I owe you one," he said, "Or ten." She purred contentedly.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> ❤ Thank you for reading!  
> 💬 Leave me a comment, I am excited to hear your opinion.  
> ✨I like to reply to every comment but don't feel pressured, I don't expect another reply from you.  
> 🌈 And please share the story on [Tumblr](https://tales-and-thoughts.tumblr.com/), if you liked it. That helps me and my motivation a lot.  
> 🎨 Also remember to drop by [Sagana_Rojana_Olt](https://saganarojanaolt.tumblr.com/post/645385325532872704/winteriron-reverse-bang-when-it-rains-it) and leave some love there as well.


End file.
